HIKING TO ANGELUS HUT
Angelus Hut sits at 1,650 metres above sea level on the edge of the beautiful alpine Lake Angelus. Surrounded by stunning mountain scenery and a spectacular ridge walk to get there, this hike is justifiably high on many people’s New Zealand bucket lists. The Nelson Lakes National Park, where this hike is situated, is at the top of New Zealand’s South Island, with the village of St Arnaud acting as the gateway to this mountain fastness.
With multiple access routes, hiking to Angelus Hut can be part of a short two-day tramp or incorporated into a more extended multi-day adventure across the Nelson Lakes National Park. We were short on time, so we decided on a shorter two-day jaunt. The weather was in our favour, so we hiked along the exposed Robert Ridge route to the hut and returned to Lake Rotoiti via the Cascade Track.
Getting to the Start of the Hike
The track along Robert Ridge starts at the Mount Robert car park, a short drive from the village of St Arnaud. We had planned to walk this bit from St Arnaud but thankfully decided against it. The shuttle with Trips and Transfers, based out of St Arnaud, was worth every penny. It wasn’t cheap at $90 for the two of us, but we were so thankful after seeing the steep, dusty road we would’ve been hiking for two hours.
Start of the hike at Mount Roberts Circuit carpark
Day One: Robert Ridge Route to Angelus Hut
Starting at Mount Robert car park, the track climbs steeply up the end of Robert Ridge on the rapidly zigzagging Pinchgut Track. Mostly out of the trees, this section of trail has stunning views across the cerulean blue waters of Lake Rotoiti to St Arnaud, more than making up for the sweaty grind up to Relax Shelter. Take a break and fill up your water bottles here before continuing along the gentler gradients of the ridgeline ahead.
As the trail continues, the ridgeline becomes narrower and the views more mesmerising, with rocky mountaintops seemingly multiplying with every step. The exposure also increases, however, and there are many signs along the way entreating the unprepared to turn back. Thankfully we were well prepared and had fantastic weather, strolling along the ridgeline in t-shirts and shorts, surrounded by some of New Zealand’s most breathtaking scenery.
Relax Shelter when hiking to Angelus Hut
Flagtop Peak marks the halfway point and is a great place to stop for lunch if the weather is fine. It’s well signed, and we arrived after roughly 2 hours and twenty minutes of walking. After this point, the ridge gets even narrower and more exposed, the scenery even more spectacular, and the path more treacherous. Finally, after four hours of walking, we came to the crest of a ridge and sighted Angelus Hut for the first time. Nestled between two alpine lakes and surrounded by an amphitheatre of mountains, it took us another 20-30 minutes to reach this most wonderfully situated mountain hut.
Rocky slope up into the mountains hiking to Angelus Hut
Hiking to Angelus Hut
Angelus Hut is a modern, airy hut with a verandah wrapping around two sides, providing views of the mountains and lakes. Angelus Hut has a capacity of 28 people, outdoor toilets (with no locks), a large kitchen area with a wood burner, and fantastic views on all sides. Unfortunately, there was no water in the hut during our stay, so we had to walk down to one of the lakes to fill up water bottles and cooking pots. There are also no cooking facilities here, so you need to bring a stove and cooking pots if you want a hot meal.
Being so high up, the weather here can change in a flash. On the afternoon of our arrival, the conditions changed from clear blue skies to less than 10-metre visibility in minutes. Thankfully not before we managed to enjoy a very refreshing dip in one of the alpine lakes.
Day 2: Hiking to Angelus Hut then Coldwater Hut on the Cascade Track
If the weather is fine, it’s worth an early rise to catch the first rays of the sun, bathing the surrounding mountains in orange. Once you’re ready to depart, it’s a knee-jerking descent down a steep slope to the head of the Hukere Stream valley. This valley is very narrow, and the route follows a rushing mountain stream (until it disappears into the ground), passing through wildflower meadows en route. This track is much quieter than that of the previous day.
It took us three hours meandering down through the beech forest to reach the more open Travers River valley. There are some particularly inviting swimming holes along this stretch if you’ve got time to stop. However, we were racing to Coldwater Hut for lunch, and it took us about four hours from Angelus to Coldwater Hut. Beautifully located at the end of Lake Rotoiti, this is a quaint historic hut with one major, major, downside; sandflies. These were the worst we’ve ever experienced in New Zealand, and we’ve experienced plenty. Excepting one very traumatic attempt to go out for a swim, and another equally traumatising trip to wash our dirty pots, we remained inside until our water taxi arrived.
Coldwater Hut at the end of Lake Rotoiti
Finishing the Hike
You can walk back to St Arnaud from Coldwater Hut along the shore of Lake Rotoiti. However, we chose the more leisurely and possibly more scenic option of getting a water taxi. Lake Rotoiti Water Taxis offer a scheduled ferry service during the summer months. You can also book a private transfer. Departing from the jetty right in front of the hut, we were sped back to St Arnaud in fifteen minutes, with a breathtaking backdrop of mountains. Well worth the $35pp charge.
Hike Maps
We used the NewTopo Travers-Sabine Circuit map, which has a scale of 1:35,000 and covers the whole of this tramp. We picked it up at Living Simply before we left Auckland.